Spring training opens with plenty of questions

Winter is officially over. Well, at least it is for pitchers and catchers.

Forget the chocolates and flowers and romantic dinner — the greatest Valentine’s Day gift was unveiled on Monday in the form of the start of spring training.

Finally, it’s time for baseball. So put down your shovels and hang up those extension cords. Wrap your head around of the big stories that are sure to be talked about throughout the next six weeks from major-league camps in Arizona and Florida.

1. The Albert Pujols contract negotiations: The St. Louis Cardinals slugger wants A-Rod-type money, and deservedly so. And if he doesn’t get the rumoured 10-year, $300-million US deal he’s seeking, he’ll gladly test the open market.

The three-time National League MVP becomes a free agent at the end of this season, and it sounds as though the Cards won’t be able to meet his monetary demands.

One potential suitor, albeit a major longshot, for Pujols is the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City is where Pujols played high school and college ball and it is where he met his wife. Plus, the Royals are loaded with some of the game’s best minor-league prospects, who would make for valuable trading chips.

Stay tuned.

2. No way, Jose: Not quite on the level of Pujols, but the so-called brain trust of the Toronto Blue Jays finds itself in a precarious situation with Jose Bautista. After clubbing a franchise single-season record 54 homers last season — almost as many as he had previously in his six-year career — Bautista is looking for a raise.

He’s looking at a $10 million per season long-term deal, while the Jays have countered with something in the neighbourhood of $7 million. After finally ridding themselves of two horrendous contracts (Alex Rios and Vernon Wells), will the Jays open their wallets to someone like Bautista, who has a lesser track record?

3. Bay Area repeat?: It is very possible the 2011 World Series champions could call Bay Area home. I’m not referring to the San Francisco Giants, but rather, the Oakland A’s.

Yes, one of baseball’s best penny-pinching franchise’s has once again built itself from within and developed what is expected to be one of the top pitching staffs in the majors. Sound familiar?

That was part of the Giants’ recipe in winning the Fall Classic last season.

Oakland pitching led all of baseball in earned-run average in 2010, and that same staff is back this year with the likes of Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Brett Anderson. Plus, they’ve added solid bullpen arms in Brian Fuentes and Grant Balfour to the mix.

The offence won’t jump off the page, but it has welcomed the likes of Hideki Matsui and Josh Willingham. So if the pitching can live up to expectations and the offence can come up with timely hits, we may see another World Series in Northern California this season.

4. The four aces: Can anybody beat the Philadelphia Phillies this season? If you’re an opposing hitter, how do you approach a four-game series against the Phils when you know you’re going to face Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels? Good luck.

The fearsome foursome might be one of the best rotations on paper in the history of the game, but they’ll need to prove themselves this summer.

Smart money is on them dominating the National League.

5. Your move, New York: After getting upstaged during the off-season by the Boston Red Sox, all eyes are on the New York Yankees and what they will do to counter the moves made by their division rivals.

The Red Sox signed Carl Crawford and Bobby Jenks and traded for Adrian Gonzalez to form an imposing lineup. The Yankees, meanwhile, were burned by Cliff Lee and had to settle for has-beens like Bartolo Colon and Freddy Garcia.

But because they’re the Yankees, you can’t believe they’ll stand by and not make a deal at some point to improve their less-than-impressive pitching staff after CC Sabathia.

6. The Donald: It is rumoured that billionaire Donald Trump is interested in buying the New York Mets. Mets owner Fred Wilpon was fleeced in a Ponzi scheme by the infamous Bernie Madoff and is now owing nearly $1 billion.

According to reports out of New York, Wilpon and Trump have met and have discussed a possible sale of the team. Only in New York . . .

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